"From next year, we agreed to begin discussions in all areas, including nuclear submarines, along with the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment," National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Saturday after visiting Canada following a trip to Washington.
The agreements follow Wi's visit to Washington last week, where he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, among other senior officials.
In preparation for the talks, Seoul has established a task force on nuclear submarines and another on uranium enrichment under the National Security Office, and plans to begin working-level negotiations as soon as Washington designates its official counterparts.
Wi said bilateral discussions were progressing smoothly overall, adding that the U.S. has described the alliance as a "model" alliance. He added that Seoul intends to move swiftly to follow up on the agreements under the current favorable atmosphere.
Regarding nuclear submarines, Wi said the two sides agreed to pursue a separate bilateral arrangement based on Section 91 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which allows the U.S. president to authorize the transfer of nuclear material for military purposes. The move is intended to bypass restrictions limiting the transfer of nuclear materials, similar to the approach taken by Australia under the AUKUS partnership.
The move follows comprehensive joint fact sheets released last month after summits between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump in August and October.
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